Sleek and chic can be bleak: customer disservice in Malta
Mona Farrugia asks for a delivery date and ends up in the court of staff rights: sometimes sleek and chic can be rather bleak and a man in a vest serves you better.
In Malta when you recount incidences of terrible customer service you stand a huge chance of being met with too many nodding and sympathizing heads. Whether it is in a restaurant, a shop or from a service provider, we seem to think we stand more of a chance of not getting our money’s worth than getting it no matter that we pay through our teeth for it.
Moreover, I don’t know about you, but from what I can see, the slicker, the more corporate the setup, it seems the worse service we are getting. Some small companies have ‘grown’ extraordinarily (I can never figure out how this happens considering their service is so awful) and they have adopted US- and UK-style practices, forgetting, in the meantime, that they are operating in a country of 450,000 people called Malta.
A few weeks ago I went to Jacap in Attard to get some plain stainless steel frames cut. One of my workmen had very painstakingly drawn them in cardboard and created simple models that Jacap could simply copy. Each cardboard cutout had details written on it such as circumferences, just in case the very obvious visual and physical element was not enough.
From the outside the Jacap showroom is sleek, organised and quite impressive. You can see a series of ultra-glossy staircases, stainless steel balustrades and such other items from the road.
At the desk, three ladies were ‘doing stuff’ at their computer. I stood there for a couple of minutes until one of them acknowledged me and we finally got down to the business of ordering the frames. Isn’t it always so extraordinary that in these situations you, the customer, feel as if you are disturbing?
I explained, in one simple sentence, what they were going to be used for which unleashed a stream of formulaic questions: how thick would the steel have to be, what was I going to be using it for (I had already said, but thought her question an oversight) and so on and so forth until eventually we got down to the price part. It was not cheap but I was in a hurry and I had already been there for the best part of half an hour so I accepted.
Then I asked the obvious question. ‘When will they be ready?’ ‘We’ll call you’ cam the immediate, and practiced, reply. ‘Erm…ok…but you see I’d rather like to have an indication’. ‘We have no idea. It could be the end of next week or maybe the week after that. It depends on a lot of things and some of our staff are on leave’.
I became increasingly agitated and so did they, eventually calling a man who seemed to be the owner who scowled at me, changed the thicknesses so that they could do my frames with another run (which was happening ‘in days’), told me not to call, had his command backed up with that of another woman who was standing next to him and that was it. I left having placed an order of which I had no idea of arrival and with a feeling of impending doom.
Two weeks later, when nobody had called me, I started to chase. I could not find the paper they had given me and this seemed to create much kerfuffle and general angst. They eventually found my order when I insisted they could look it up by date. They had no idea when they were going to deliver and further probing at my end had the girl (who had served me the first time) putting me on hold and the scowly woman answering me instead of her. ‘I really need a date because I’m closing off an entire project’ I told the woman ‘Don’t be so arrogant’ she replied. ‘If you want you can come and take your deposit back’.
Wondrous. How sensitive have we become that a customer asking for a delivery date is construed as ‘arrogance’?
Two days later I picked up my deposit, which was handed over with no problem, along with the models, and drove off to Dragon Forge in the forsaken Crafts Village of Ta’ Qali. For years, the craftsmen have been assured by consecutive governments, always as part of the pre-election blitzes, that this village is going to be organised and their workshops spruced up. Sometimes I am thankful this has not happened yet and pray it never does. They should just leave them in peace, for their own good.
Joseph, who runs the Dragon Forge hut, does not wear snazzy work clothes. I think when I turned up he was in a vest. Their signs are printed in paper and stuck with sellotape to whichever bit of wall can be found. Their logo must be a hundred years old. They do not advertise anywhere except for the Yellow Pages and probably some fuljett tal-festa.
He does not have a computer: in fact I doubt he can use one. He scribbled my one sentence, the one I had given to Jacap, in design format onto the back of a used envelope. This did not worry me one bit as Joseph had done many things for me over the years, including huge and heavy pregnant windows, crafted balustrades and the entire shebang of forged metal and wrought iron which requires so much strength and patience to produce. He never got a single thing wrong and when his guys turn up to install they are always polite and gracious.
It was fortuitous that I discovered that apart from the heavy black metal seen on our traditional houses Dragon Forge also work in stainless steel. In three minutes Joseph had understood exactly what I was talking about, had given me a date without any prompting and told me he’d deliver.
I left the messy, noisy workshop feeling elated, satisfied and absolutely sure that Dragon Forge will not let me down. Sometimes, sleek and chic are exactly what we don’t need; I’ll take a scribbled envelope and a dirty vest any time.
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Bridesmaid Dresses: Spring/Summer 2014 Styles From Top Designers (PHOTOS)
Who says bridesmaid dresses have to be ugly and unflattering?
Designers brought their A-game to the Spring/Summer 2014 runways in New York recently, showing bridesmaid gowns that attendants will definitely want to wear again.
Click through the below photos to see 8 gorgeous new styles, then tell us in the comments: would you choose one of these looks for your 'maids'?
Bridesmaid Dresses: Spring/Summer 2014 Styles From Top Designers (PHOTOS)
Who says bridesmaid dresses have to be ugly and unflattering?
Designers brought their A-game to the Spring/Summer 2014 runways in New York recently, showing bridesmaid gowns that attendants will definitely want to wear again.
Click through the below photos to see 8 gorgeous new styles, then tell us in the comments: would you choose one of these looks for your 'maids'?
After night the in purgatory A1 a mode detailed experience, including the single player mode and cooperation mode, encountering a variety of elite strange and rare and strange, and whether killing off according to the specific team situation; can not kill resolutely notice teammate pass out next through direct SKIP.
Goldwto sell many game gold,such as :
diablo 3 gold
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runescape gold
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blade and soul gold
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itunes gift card
App Store Gift Card
Rare and strange: with a rare name (usually blue, but at the same time may also be gold elite), it is difficult to find, but to get rid of, there is often a special surprise, because fixed and affixes equipment, regardless of the blue-loaded or yellow equipment, are to the edge, in fact, is the best SP produced strange fortune depends on it.
Open the list of your accomplishments, an achievement which lists the most rare and strange, but not all!
In addition, rare and strange fall the best equipment is not 100% drop, but if you want, you could do nothing but find them, rs gold because they can. If you encounter, but you can not beat , please hurry to invite your friends list into your game together to engage it, and to drop more than a goodly portion of luck, but also a way of getting money to the Friends of the base!
Daobao Wizard: Drop equipped with everything falling energy saving in this chapter, in addition to rare and strange part of falling!
Drop the game settings, through research nethack (known as the originator of the Diablo setting items randomly drop) settings, blade and soul gold in fact, a setting is as follows:
Rare and strange list of rare and strange list: this figure may be possible, each unique drop list of rare and strange, usually the main producing strange Need rings and necklaces;
Blue strange list: this picture ordinary strange, it may appear strange blue, just blue strange installed it must be out of the blue, drop list is the list of the world fall in each of the sections that, that does not beyond the the chapter drop the other chapters will be out equipment. (FARM A1 friend Note, A4 was a good blue-loaded, drag a drag the corpse into the A4.)
3 golden elite list: mainly wow gold used to increase this figure a bit of a challenge and entertainment, to be honest, not farm their significance, and this strange basically impossible to be done FARM their fall list and blue The strange world drop, as limited by chapter, but the yellow loading a relatively high probability it wants.
So, I'll give you advice:
Careful and meticulous to a certain figure, the difficulty is not great, you can complete single FARM again, all the blame, all the stones, all the local touch it again, and then reset it again, and so forth NNNN times and times, you can put this figure there might be rare and strange touch, we also know this "specialty".
Another supplement on suits and legendary equipment drop set: part of the world falling, broken jar and trash mobs and the like can be a goodly portion of luck, but the mobs die so much, the opportunity is always there; portion of the fixed BOSS out drop, multi-brush it, the opportunity is always there, after all, is fixed drop FARM when a lot of bad street but in the end is inevitable; part fall by rare and strange, the same can not be met seeking to encourage you and diligent traveled to every corner of the map; also part of falling exists only in the advanced chest, face.
About rare and strange location: each figure with surface and underground (cave) in two parts, this strange wandering the entire surface of each figure, that might be buried in the ground, but mainly present in the underground; each figure has a fixed number of underground cave spawn points, and each picture to refresh the total number of points is fixed, but each time the refresh only a few points, to refresh a few point and which point to refresh are random; Members diligent little more effort, run a race map, summarize the law, there will always be the outcome! ! ! ! !
Random number paradox: while the computer is set between 1-100 random samples of any single chance, from long statistical point of view, are the same, but in a short period of time during the actual operation, you extracted to a 1 and 100 chance is very small; the improved random numbers, often using double-random number divided by the ratio rounded, for example, taken from 1-100 where two duplicate number, and then divided by 2 rounded .
Refer to the above extract random set model of random numbers, each picture looks much spawn points, but a subset of locations and 1 or 100 is actually more difficult to be able to get from another point of view, mean that other spawn points easily be able to get refreshed, this rule can be found by summing.
My last most important conclusion: Some rare and strange appears only in the rare spawn points, this setting is also normal, everyone can sum up, there is always the law to be investigated!
What to Look for in a Hard Drive That You Are Purchasing?
When you are going to buy laptop hard drive, it is extremely important to look for one that is going to be fast and large enough to accommodate all of your files and data needs. It
Yeah, it's just what I need, I'm about to have a new one
I always use Dell Hard Disk Drives, what about you, guys?
Gateway!!!lol
Am I the only one who doesn't want a White Dress?
Am I the only one who doesn't want a White Dress?
Am I the only one who doesn't want a White Dress?
Am I the only one who doesn't want a White Dress?
Help me choose my dress!!
Help me choose my dress!!
Help me choose my dress!!
Help me choose my dress!!
Help me choose my dress!!
Help me choose my dress!!
Help me choose my dress!!
It happens all the time - retailers have the excuse that they have keyed in your deposit / full amount into their cash register, and that they therefore cannot give you a refund because they would have to pay V.A.T. nontheless. They try to fob you off with the statement that you "changed your mind" when you find something not fit for the purpose it was purchased. They give you receopts without the name of the shop and V.A.T. number, thus rendering them "not fiscal". They even tell you outrageous statements such as that "those boots were never meant to be worn in the rain" - after they are ruined, and not before. They suggest you accept a credit note as if they are doing you a favour (and when you do, you have immediately and consequently given all your rights away). The Consumer Directorate can help you with all of the above, and the variations thereof.
About three years ago my wife bought a coat from River Island, London. She was over the moon with it: as in Malta she never found one the way she really wanted. When time came for laundry she took it to Portughes, having availed ourselves of excellent service in the past. This time though, it emerged covered in micro fur-balls and it was practically ruined. We spoke to the manager, who not only denied it was his technique that damaged it, but also offered to send the item to a Sicilian Lab which would confirm / deny it, even paying half the total expenses. It turned out the lab found nothing wrong with the technique and attributed the bad result to defective material. My wife armed herself with this report and spoke to the Consumer's Directorate. In a week she received a full refund by cheque.
Not that I call it a great experience with regards to River Island, but hats off to Portughes for brilliant service - he didn't ask to be refunded for the expenses he incurred for the report, even though it had nothing to do with him.
While we're on the subject of tearing clothes: my favourite high street brand is Banana Republic. Last year I bought some cashmere items which immediately developed holes. I wrote to their head of customer service who not only replied immediately but also arranged for a full refund. Obviously I had to go to London to avail myself of this (they did not have the online store then) but as you can imagine I am now a diehard devotee. Good customer service turns a bad experience into a great one, obviously if the intentions of the complainant are honourable.
@Susan
Scan really does enjoy a well-deserved reputation for after-sales as well as competitive prices - several friends of mine as well as my in-laws have confirmed this.
@Mona
I somehow suspected that it would be both cheaper and less of a wait.
Incidentally, less than two months ago I bought a pair of jeans whose brand I frankly had never heard of for 45€ from a renowned outlet...the seller said they compared to Diesel with respect to quality...in less than two months they tore - with my sedentary lifestyle that was a big surprise. I spoke to the seller who said 'he gives no warranty' on clothes...I don't know whether it was a funny or pathetic comment. I had hundreds of trousers both branded and 'tat-3 ghaxar liri', both for the heavy work I then used to do as well as leisure, but never have I had a pair that lasted so little, at any price. I even wrote to the company in the UK (although they are actually made in China!) who replied within 12 hours saying they 'do not accept returns from the public' and that I should contact the seller again. I simply wrote back saying I was disappointed that they were sending me back to the wolf's den...and that all I could do was never buy again the same brand (they have 16 retailers in Malta alone) and relate my experience to the public.
I have now written to the Consumer's Directorate and am awaiting a reply.
@Stanley
1 week
Cheaper
I am in a brilliant mood. Just received such excellent and professional customer service, first at Mothercare and then at Scan Computers. So we really can do it right, if management cares and trains.
Just two questions Mona...How long did it actually take to have them in your hands? And how did the cost compare to JACAP's?
